In the early morning hours of Sept. 20, a fatal car wreck along Bridge Lake Road in Springfield Township claimed two lives.
The crash happened shortly after 1 a.m. Killed were the driver, Katie Beauchamp, 25, of Clarkston, and her passenger, 28-year-old Juliette McCarty of Springfield.
The duo were reportedly fleeing from sheriff’s deputies, who were attempting to make a traffic stop. Police said the pursuit lasted less than two minutes and spanned a distance of two-and-a-half miles.
McCarty led deputies north on Bridge Lake Road, north of Rattalee Lake Road, in her 1996 Chevrolet Corsica before she lost control, hitting a tree on the east side of the roadway and coming to a stop after hitting another series of trees on the west side.
Beauchamp was taken to Genesis Hospital, where she died two hours after the incident. McCarty was ejected from the vehicle on impact and died at the scene.
Neither driver nor passenger was wearing safety belts.
The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said the crash is still under investigation and alcohol may have been a factor in the wreck.
A memorial has been erected on a tree on the east side of the roadway, presumably the point of initial contact in the incident.
One item in the collection of pictures, cards, and memoirs adorning the tree was a message to the pair’s friends from Beauchamp’s family. The note read: ‘And you think partying is fun.?
Cars stopped along the roadway the afternoon of Sept. 22 to look at the memorial. Carl and Karol Scott of Waterford Township visited out of curiosity after reading of the tragedy in the newspaper.
‘It was a sad thing, it’s just senseless,? Karol Scott said.
‘They never learn until it’s too late, drinking and driving don’t mix,? Carl Scott said.